Web Map Service

Web Map Service
A Web Map Service (WMS) is a standard protocol developed by the Open Geospatial Consortium in 1999 for serving georeferenced map images over the Internet. These images are typically produced by a map server from data provided by a GIS database.
History
The Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC) became involved in developing standards for web mapping after a paper was published in 1997 by Allan Doyle, outlining a "WWW Mapping Framework". The OGC established a task force to come up with a strategy, and organized the "Web Mapping Testbed" initiative, inviting pilot web mapping projects that built upon ideas by Doyle and the OGC task force. Results of the pilot projects were demonstrated in September 1999, and a second phase of pilot projects ended in April 2000.
The Open Geospatial Consortium released WMS version 1.0.0 in April 2000, followed by version 1.1.0 in June 2001, and version 1.1.1 in January 2002. The OGC released WMS version 1.3.0 in January 2004.
Requests
WMS specifies a number of different request types, two of which are required by any WMS server:
GetCapabilities – returns parameters about the WMS (such as map image format and WMS version compatibility) and the available layers (map bounding box, coordinate reference systems, URI of the data and whether the layer is mostly opaque or not)
GetMap – returns a map image. Parameters include: width and height of the map, coordinate reference system, rendering style, image format
Request types that WMS providers may optionally support include:
GetFeatureInfo – if a layer is marked as 'queryable' then you can request data about a coordinate of the map image.
DescribeLayer – returns the feature types of the specified layer or layers, which can be further described using WFS or WCS requests. This request is dependent on the Styled Layer Descriptor (SLD) Profile of WMS.
GetLegendGraphic – returns an image of the map's legend image, giving a visual guide to map elements.
All communication is served through HTTP.
Map image
A WMS server usually serves the map in a bitmap format, e.g. PNG, GIF, JPEG, etc. In addition, vector graphics can be included, such as points, lines, curves and text, expressed in SVG or WebCGM format.
Software
Open source software that provide web map services capability include:
deegree
GeoServer
MapServer
MapGuide Open Source
QGIS Server
Proprietary server software that allow providing web map services include:
ArcGIS Server
ArcIMS
Cubeserv from Terrapixel
GeoWebPublisher from Bentley Systems
GeognoSIS from Cadcorp
GeoMedia
Oracle MapViewer
SIAS (Smallworld Internet Application Server) from GE Energy
Autodesk's Infrastructure Map Server
Manifold System
Luciad's LuciadLightspeed and LuciadFusion products
Open source standalone (client side) software that allow viewing web map services include:
Marble
Proprietary standalone (client side) software that allow viewing web map services include:
Google Earth
Esri ArcGIS & ArcGIS Explorer
Global Mapper
Kongsberg Gallium Ltd. InterVIEW / InterMAPhics
Luciad's LuciadLightspeed, LuciadRIA and LuciadMobile products
WMS is a widely supported format for maps and GIS data accessed via the Internet and loaded into client side GIS software. Major commercial GIS and mapping software that support WMS include:
Autodesk's Map 3D and Civil 3D products
Bentley Systems' MicroStation, Bentley Map, desktop and server based GIS products
Cadcorp SIS product suite
D3.js
ESRI's ArcGIS products
GeoMedia
Global Mapper
Kinetica
Manifold System
MapInfo Professional
Maptitude Mapping Software
MATLAB and Mapping Toolbox
Qlik Sense
Tableau
Open source software that supports WMS include:
QGIS
uDig
OpenJUMP
MapGuide Open Source
NASA World Wind
GRASS GIS
GeoTrellis
JOSM
gvSIG
OpenLayers
Leaflet.js
GE Energy's SIAS, an Ajax library, supports WMS for integrating WMS maps into web pages, as does Mapbender
See also
Open Source Geospatial Foundation (OSGeo)
Web Coverage Service (WCS)
Web Coverage Processing Service (WCPS)
Web Feature Service (WFS)
Tile Map Service, a specification by Open Source Geospatial Foundation (OSGeo) for tiled map layers
References
External links
OpenGIS Web Map Service (WMS) Implementation Specification, Version 1.3.0, 2006-Mar-15, 06-042
A concise overview of the WMS paradigm and keywords by Natural Resources Canada
GIS software
ISO/TC 211
Open Geospatial Consortium